Atheists sue over references to God at inauguration

The inaugural ceremony for President-elect Barack Obama will be historic because he’ll be the nation’s first African-American president.

But from a religious standpoint, it will also be memorable.

The Revs. Joseph E. Lowery and Rick Warren will share prayer duty and the phrase “so help me God” will be uttered by Obama. This is at the heart of a recently filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block religious references that are sure to come up.

California atheist Michael A. Newdo, who is known for the unsuccessful attempt to remove “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance, filed the suit and is joined by various atheist groups and individuals.

This CBS News report points out that Newdo made this same move prior to outgoing President Bush’s inaugural ceremony and was unsuccessful.

I’d imagine this will likely run the same course. It is interesting to note that San Antonio has seen this same legal move recently. In November, a man sued the San Antonio mayor for his part in the National Day of Prayer.

The number of people who favor atheism and greater restrictions on separation of church and state seem to stay about the same in the United States, according to most surveys. But lately there have been more books and discussions about the question of God’s existence and, more importantly, how much he should be referenced in governmental affairs.

Possibly aimed to attract attention, these lawsuits don’t seem to get very far most of the time.